October 16, 2006 -

OTTAWA, October 13, 2006 — In their first appearance in Ottawa since 1989, the world-renowned Kirov Ballet and 66-member Kirov Orchestra (under the baton of conductor Pavel Bubelnikov) will perform their signature ballet, Swan Lake, in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre. Swan Lake will be performed on October 26, 27, 28, and 29, 2006 at 19:00, and on October 28 and 29, 2006 at 13:30. All performances are sold out.

Swan Lake – in this exclusive Canadian engagement – quickly generated major buzz and red hot ticket sales since its announcement in mid-April, leading to record numbers of Canril Ballet Series subscribers. On July 27, when tickets were first made available to the general public, lineups began two hours before the NAC box office opened, and more than 1500 tickets were sold before 17:00. When a sixth performance was added to accommodate demand for tickets, it also sold out within days.

Swan Lake is part of the National Arts Centre’s Canril Ballet Series, which is generously sponsored by Canril Corporation. Many thanks to Associate Sponsor Export Development Canada, Performance Sponsor (October 29) Petro-Canada, and to the following Supporting Partners: Hotel Partner the Lord Elgin Hotel, Promotions Partner VIA Rail, and Media Partners The National Post, The Ottawa Citizen, and Radio-Canada.

“Export Development Canada is proud to be sponsoring the Kirov Ballet’s exclusive engagement at the NAC,” said Eric Siegel, Chief Operating Officer of EDC. "This support is a symbol of EDC's deepening relationship with Russia as we prepare to send our first permanent representative, Mr. Rod Lever, to Moscow to facilitate trade for Canadians in Russia's soaring market."

The most popular ballet ever created – performed by the world’s most outstanding ballet company! Known for impeccable style and flawless technique, the Kirov Ballet under Valery Gergiev shines in a unique production of this beautiful and beloved story – it’s perfect for the entire family. Swan Lake (set toTchaikovsky’s classic score performed by the Kirov Orchestra) is brought vividly to life by the exceptional artistry of a company renowned – since 1783 -- for classical purity and grace.

“Sergeyev's 1950 Soviet production of Swan Lake (based on Petipa and Ivanov's 1895 St Petersburg staging) has proved endlessly appealing to audiences at home and abroad…The pull of those gorgeous Kirov swans is irresistible, as is Tchaikovsky's impassioned score played by their home orchestra. And the production is pretty too, in a German Romantics sort of way. On opening night there was plenty of beautiful dancing to feast the eye, especially from the corps de ballet who surpassed even their own high standards. They are superbly well drilled and it's thrilling to see an ensemble dance so convincingly as a single body, but it goes beyond mere physical synergy: they think as one too. They are the heart and soul of Swan Lake.”

Debra Crane, The Times of London, July 2005

The Kirov Ballet and Swan Lake

The Kirov has a long and illustrious history. It all began in 1783 when Russian Empress Anna Ivanova established a ballet school for the instruction of favoured servants’ children. This evolved into a company that provided courtly entertainment. Under royal patronage, the company finally settled in St. Petersburg’s Bolshoi (Stone) Theatre in 1783 as the Imperial Ballet. There it remained until 1885 when it moved into the ornate, jewel-box Mariinsky Theatre, where it is still based today and known in Russia as the Maryinsky Ballet Theatre, only using the name Kirov for touring outside Russia.

The exact genesis of Swan Lake and the circumstances surrounding its 1877 Moscow debut remain the subject of lively scholarly debate. It is now fashionably asserted that the original Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky's first ballet commission, was a total flop. Its choreographer was mediocre, the first Odette was undistinguished, the designs were cobbled together, the conductor deemed Tchaikovsky's music too difficult. Still, whatever its alleged deficiencies, Swan Lake played an exceptional forty performances in its original run and was revived at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre in new productions in 1880 and 1882. It was then purchased in 1886 by the Maryinsky, and considered for production. After this, Swan Lake was completely re-worked by the great French-born choreographer and Imperial ballet master Marius Pepita and his assistant Lev Ivanov, premiering on January 27, 1895.

The Petipa/Ivanov Swan Lake was by no means a runaway success in St. Petersburg. The critics carped. However, if for no other reason than that it provided a wonderful vehicle for ballerinas, Swan Lake endured, but by the time Petipa retired in 1903 his grand aesthetic was being challenged by a new generation of dancers and choreographers.

What the Kirov Ballet brings to Swan Lake is not so much a matter of archival authenticity as one of tradition, breeding and bearing. The Kirov owns Swan Lake: its amplitude, its rhythms, its lyricism course through the company's veins. When the Kirov's dancers perform Swan Lake they are not simply portraying a fantasy of good and evil. They live it, as they have for the past century and more.

Excerpted from an edited version of an article by Michael Crabb

“The corps de ballet as a whole is a technical wonder. The orchestra gives you new ears. And this is why, in the end, the Kirov can keep coming to London and splashing with the same old Swan Lake. Until the rest of the world breeds dancers with those limbs, those necks and those flexible feet, not to mention the same skill to deploy them, we will gawp and sigh and keep coming back for more.”

Jenny Gilbert, The Independent (London), July 2005

“When the Kirov dance Swan Lake, the ballet always appears … more eloquently moonlit, than you remember it. …the dancers added an extra quotient of perfection …the Kirov as a company have rarely performed better. This was an astonishingly beautiful Swan Lake …the dancing …made you weep.”

Judith Mackrell, The Guardian (London), July 2005

“From the moment Alexander Polianichko raises his baton the audience is spellbound with the glorious sound of the orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre playing Tchaikovsky's most famous ballet score. The curtains open to reveal some of the greatest dancers in the world performing with superlative finesse. With a heritage of over 260 years and exceptional performances, the chance to see the Kirov is not one to be missed.”

Gavin Roebuck, TheStageonline July 2005

Swan Lake
Kirov Ballet with Orchestra of The Mariinsky Theater Valery Gergiev, Artistic and General Director Makhar Vaziev, Director of the Ballet

MUSIC Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
CHOREOGRAPHY Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov (1895)
REVISED CHOREOGRAPHY AND STAGE DIRECTION Konstantin Sergeyev (1950)
LIBRETTO Vladimir Begichev and Vasily Geltzer
SET DESIGN Igor Ivanov COSTUME DESIGN Galina Solovieva

Uliana Lopatkina, Diana Vishneva, Daria Pavlenko, Igor Zelensky, Igor Kolb, Danila Korsuntsev, Andrian Fadeev,Victroria Tereshkina, Alina Somova, Irina Golub, Ekaterina Osmolkina, Tatiana Tkachenko, Ksenia Ostreykovskaya, Ekaterina Kondaurova, Leonid Sarafanov, Nadezhda Gonchar, Islom, Baymuradov, Anton Korsakov, Ilya Kuznetsov, Andrey Ivanov, Andrey Yakovlev, Svetlana Ivanova, Elena Yushkovskaya, Yulia Bolshakova, Yana Selina, Vasily Shcherbakov, Maxim Khrebtov, Polina Rassadina, Yana Serebriakova, Daria Sukhorukova, Irina Prokofieva, Marianna Pavlova, Victoria Kutepova, Soslan Kulaev, Igor Nikitin, Dmitry Sharapov, Alexey Nedviga, Ksenia Dubrovina, Galina Rakhmanova, Alexander Klimov, Ryu Ji Yeon, Elena Chmil, Grigory Popov, Maxim Chashegorov, Dmitry Pykhachev, Vladimir Ponomarev, Elena Bazhenova, Petr Stasyunas, Igor Petrov, Olga Akmatova, Elena Androsova, Tatiana Bazhitova, Daria Grigorieva, Nadezhda Demakova, Irina Kuznetsova, Maria Lebedeva, Ksenia Malkova, Daria Pavlova, Ekaterina Petina, Natalia Sveshnikova, Diana Smirnova, Alisa Sokolova, Yana Tikhonova, Ksenia Tagunova, Maria Sheviakova, Alexey Bazhitov, Mikhail Berdichevsky, Stanislav Burov, Dmitry Vedeneev, Konstantin Zverev, Sergey Kononenko, Valery Konkov, Alexey Krasnov, Alexander Kulikov, Anton Lukovkin, Alexander Neff, Anton Pimonov, Sergey Popov, Vadim Rasskazov, Sergey Salikov, Denis Firsov

Kirov Ballet is presented under the Management of Ardani Artists Management, Inc. 130 West 56th Street New York, New York 10019

The Kirov Ballet and the Kirov Orchestra perform Swan Lake in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre October 26-29 at 19:00, as well as on October 28-29 at 13:30. All performances are sold out. Last-minute tickets (if available) are $62, $77, $97, and $115 for adults and $32.25, $39.75, $49.75, and $58.75 for students (upon presentation of a valid student ID card). Tickets can be ordered from the NAC box office in person, by mail, or by fax at (613) 947-7112; a surcharge of $3 per ticket applies to fax and mail orders. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at (613) 755-1111; Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s website at www.nac-cna.ca.. New! Dinner packages at Kinki, Social, and Meditheo are available with the purchase of tickets to any NAC Dance performance. Book your package by visiting Ticketmaster at one of the following links: http://www.ticketmaster.ca/promo/24375 , http://www.ticketmaster.ca/promo/24364 , or http://www.ticketmaster.ca/promo/b5kfde

Photos for all dance events can be viewed and downloaded at: www.nac-cna.ca/media/

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Information:
Gerald Morris
Marketing and Media Relations, NAC Dance Programming
(613) 947-7000, ext. 249
gmorris@nac-cna.ca

SWAN LAKE SYNOPSIS

Act I
It is Prince Siegfried’s birthday, and in the park in front of the castle the young prince celebrates his coming-of-age with courtiers, friends, and villagers. The guests drink to his health and a jester entertains them with his antics. When Siegfried’s mother arrives, she expresses displeasure with her son’s behavior and he presents her with a bouquet of roses to mollify her. However, once his mother departs, the revelry resumes.

As twilight falls the guests depart and the Prince is left alone in the park. High above, a flock of white swans fly across the darkening sky. Seizing his bow, Siegfried rushes off into the forest to hunt for the swans.

Act II
In the growing darkness, the swans have gathered near the shore of a lake deep in the forest. The swans are, in fact, beautiful young maidens who have been transformed by the evil sorcerer Rothbart. Only at night can they assume human form and the only power on earth that can break Rothbart’s spell is devoted love. One of the swans comes to shore and just as Siegfried is drawing his bow to shoot the white bird it suddenly turns into a beautiful woman -- it is Odette, the Queen of the Swans. Enthralled by her beauty, the Prince tries to capture her. But, afraid of Rothbart and his magic, she disappears in the midst of the other swan-maidens. Siegfried runs after her and swears his eternal love and fidelity. As dawn breaks, Odette sadly bids farewell to her prince and joins the other swan-maidens as they glide slowly across the lake.

INTERMISSION

Act III
Guests have gathered at the castle for a ball celebrating the birthday of the prince. Siegfried must choose his bride from among the six princesses who have been invited, but he remains indifferent to them all because he has given his heart to Odette. At his mother’s insistence, he dances with each of the prospective brides. As a token, he is to give his chosen bride a bouquet of flowers. As he faces his dilemma, a flourish of trumpets heralds the arrival of new guests: the sorcerer Rothbart and his daughter Odile -- Odette’s evil double. Seeing them and thinking his true love has arrived, Siegfried joyously announces to his mother that the beautiful Odile is his choice. The sorcerer is jubilant.

Suddenly, Siegfried sees a vision of the frantic swan queen, Odette, outside the castle window and realizes that he has been deceived into breaking his vow. In despair, Siegfried rushes to the lake in search of his beloved Odette.

INTERMISSION

Act IV
The dejected swan-maidens have gathered at the lakeside. When Siegfried arrives, he begs Odette’s forgiveness for breaking his promise and again professes his eternal love.

Rothbart appears, and in a rage commands that the black swans separate the young lovers. Siegfried struggles with the sorcerer and in the encounter breaks Rothbart’s wing. The enchanter collapses and, his power gone, dies. Love has broken the evil spell. The rising sun shines radiantly on the Prince, Odette, and the rescued maidens.

The Kirov Ballet Public Class Ballet class open to professional, and pre-professional advanced level ballet dancers and students The NAC Dance department presents two ballet classes taught by Kirov Ballet Masters Gennady Selyutsky and Yury Fateev Ballet Master Gennady Selyutsky teaches on: Date: Tuesday, October 24th, 2006 Time: 11:00 am to 12:30 pm Location: Rehearsal Hall B, National Arts Centre, 53 Elgin Street, Ottawa (enter by Stage Door) Cost: $20 Ballet Master Yury Fateev teaches on: Date: Friday, October 27th, 2006| Time: 11:30 am to 1:00 pm Location: The School of Dance, 200 Crichton Street, Ottawa www.theschoolofdance.ca Cost: $20 Space is limited. You must RESERVE a place in the class. Leave a message for Renata Soutter, Dance Outreach Coordinator, at (613) 947-7000 ext. 588 or soutter@magma.ca YURI FATEEV, Balletmaster Yuri Fateev was born in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). He studied in the Academy of the Russian Ballet and in 1982 joined the Kirov Ballet, performing a variety of solo parts. He began his pedagogic career in the Mariinsky Theater and in 2003 was appointed ballet master and rehearsal director of the Mariinsky Theater Ballet. He works in close cooperation with the George Balanchine Foundation and is in charge of Balanchine’s ballets staged in the Mariinsky. He is the leading rehearsal director of Roland Petit ballets. He has taught and staged Russian classic ballets at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Danish Royal Ballet and the Swedish Royal Ballet. He has worked with ballet stars including Svetlana Zakharova, Darcy Bussell, Diana Vishneva, Igor Zelensky, Andrian Fadeev, Ethan Stiefel, Gillian Murfi, Nikolai Thsiskaridze, Roberto Bolli and Vladimir Malakhov.